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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — music
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. spring — a coil
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. prune — to trim
  9. kick — in football
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mark — a grade
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — the season
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. sharp — clever
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pop — to visit
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. mark — a trace
  24. nail — for a hammer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com